Railroad car for hauling flat stacks of material

ABSTRACT

A railroad car for hauling stacked, flat sheets of material, such as rectangular cut sheet steel, and a method of securing such a stack in a railroad car having a plurality of sunken chain troughs extending in the bed of the car from one side to the other with a chain holding member or saddle mounted in each trough, and a plurality of chain holding devices, each attached to one side of the car roughly above the intersection of a trough with that side. To secure the load, a first chain portion passes along in each of one or more troughs beneath the load to the side of the stack adjacent one side of the car, passes up that side of the stack and over the top of the stack to attach to the opposite side of the car, while another chain portion passes in that same chain trough in the opposite direction to the side of the stack adjacent that opposite car side, up that side of the stack and over the top of the stack to attach to the first car side. A plurality of bulkheads each extending from one side of the car to the other and movable along the length of the car in a pair of tracks which each extend along one car side are also preferably provided for securing the stack against movement in a direction parallel to the car sides.

Christian, Jr.

Jan. 8, 1974 1 RAILROAD CAR FOR HAULING FLAT STACKS OF MATERIAL [75] Inventor: Frank Gordon Christian, Jr.,

Huntington, W. Va.

[73 Assignees: The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company, Cleveland, Ohio; The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company, Baltimore, Md.

[22] Filed: Dec. 15, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 208,224

[52] U.S. Cl. 105/369 A, 105/368 T, 105/376, 248/1 19 R [51] Int. Cl B60p 7/08, B61d 45/00 [58] Field of Search 105/368 T, 369 A, 105/376; 280/1791; 248/361 A, 119 R [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,733,671 2/1956 Sheesley et a1. 105/369 A 2,756,693 7/1956 Frost 105/369 A 3,438,340 4/1969 Pendleton... 105/369 A 3,007,423 11/1961 Maharick.... 105/376 3,193,122 7/1965 Sauthoff 105/376 3,338,186 8/1967 Herian 105/369 A 3,465,691 9/1969 Simmons.. 105/369 A 2,638,063 5/1953 Clark 105/369 A Primary Examiner-Drayton E. Hoffman Att0rney-Cushman, Darby & Cushman [57] ABSTRACT A railroad car for hauling stacked, flat sheets of material, such as rectangular cut sheet steel, and a method of securing such a stack in a railroad car having a plurality of sunken chain troughs extending in the bed of the car from one side to the other with a chain holding member or saddle mounted in each trough, and a plurality of chain holding devices, each attached to one side of the car roughly above the intersection of a trough with that side. To secure the load, a first chain portion passes along in each of one or more troughs beneath the load to the side of the stack adjacent one side of the car, passes up that side of the stack and over the top of the stack to attach to the opposite side of the car, while another chain portion passes in that same chain trough in the opposite direction to the side of the stack adjacent that opposite car side, up that side of the stack and over the top of the stack to attach to the first car side. A plurality of bulkheads each extending from one side of the car to the other and movable along the length of the car in a pairof tracks which each extend along one car side are also preferably provided for securing the stack against movement in a direction parallelto the car sides.

2 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PMENTED 9,974 sum 2 o; 4 3.783.798

[I II] 4 y I I I f I v I w I XMAM WM ATTORNEYS I RAILROAD CAR FOR HAULING FLAT STACKS OF MATERIAL BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a railroad car for hauling and securing stacks of flat sheets of material and to a method of securing such stacks in a railroad car.

Shipping stacks of flat sheets of material, such as cut sheet steel, by rail presents a problems even when the sheets are packaged, since lateral movement of the stack or the sheets in the stack during transit often results in damage to the plates or inability to mechanically unload the car at its destination. Many different arrangements for securing such plates during transit have been employed and several arrangements are shown, for example, in the patents to Pendleton, U.S. Pat. No. 3,348,340, and Grube, U.S. Pat. No. 3,462,] 37. Movable bulkheads have also been employed for securing loads in railway cars and the patents to Sauthoff, U.S. Pat. NO. 3,193,122, and Laffey, U.S. Pat. No. 1,499,229, are exemplary of such arrangements.

The present invention relates to a railway car and a method of securing in a railway car stacks of flat sheets of material such as cut sheet steel packaged or unpackaged so that stacks with sheets of varying size can be quickly, easily, simply and safely secured onto a railway car with maximum utilization of the available bed space and held securely during transit so that the load arrives undamaged and positioned for easy mechanical unloading.

This is accomplished, according to the embodiment of the invention set forth below, by a car having a plurality of chain troughs extending across the car from able bulkheads permit easy and quick accommodation to any size of stack and permit maximum utilization of the space on the bed of the car.

Many other objects and purposes of the invention will become clear from the following detailed description of the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. ll shows a perspective view of a railway gondola for hauling and securing one or more stacks of sheets of material such as cut sheet steel;

FIG. 2 shows a cut-away view of the gondola of FIG. 1 along the lines 2-2';

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the device for attaching the chain to the sides of the car of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a cut-away view of the car of FIG. 1 along the lines 4-4;

FIG. 5 shows a side view of one of the saddles and chains which are mounted in the chain troughs of the gondola of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 shows a cut-away view of the saddle of FIG. 5 along the lines 6-6'; and

FIG. 7 shows a cut-away view of the car of FIG. 1

- along the lines 77.

one side to the other with a chain attaching device or I saddle permanently secured in each trough, for example, by welding. A plurality of chain attaching devices are also attached to sides of the car, each being located roughly above the intersection of one of the chain troughs with a car side. To secure a stack of flat sheets of material, the stack is placed in the car over one or more troughs with a side parallel to each of the sides of the railway car. A portion of a chain, which passes through opposing slots in the saddle of a given trough and is prevented from substantial movement through that saddle, passes along the trough to one side of the stack adjacent one side of the car and, passes up that side and over the top of the stack to attach to the chain holding arrangement on the opposite side of the car and above the chain trough through which that portion passes. A further portion of the chain passes in the chain trough in the opposite direction to the other side of the stack which is adjacent the otherside of the car, passes up the side of that stack and then over the top of the stack in a direction opposite to which the first portion passes so as to attach to the other side of the car. In this fashion. the stack is held firmly in position and the chains can be readily and quickly adjusted for a stack of any desired size. 9

According to a further aspect of the invention, movable bulkheads are provided in the car which move on tracks running along the sides of the car so that the bulkheads can be abutted against the sides of the car, and locked in place. The sides of the bulkhead face the ends of the railway car for preventing movement of'the stack in a direction along the sides of the car. The mov- DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Reference is now made to FIG. 1 which shows a perspective view of a railway gondola 20 according to one embodiment of this invention. For convenience in illustrating, the conventional cover for the gondola car is not shown, but it is understood that, if desired, such a cover can be provided. Car 20 comprises a body which includes sides 22 and 24, ends 26 and 28, and a bed 30. A coupling mechanism 32 is provided for conventionally attaching car 20 to other cars for pulling in a conventional train, and car 20 is also provided with the usual wheels with which gondola cars are equipped.

As shown in FIG. 4, bed of car 20 is comprised of alternate woodplanks 33 extending from side 20 to side 24 and upraised portions of steel member 35 which can be best seen in FIG. 4. A trough can be formed thus by simply removing a plank 33. The sunken chain troughs in bed 30, including troughs 34, 36 and 38, extend in bed 30 from side 22 to side 24. Each of these troughs is substantially the same as the others and each is provided with a chain saddle member, such as member 40 which can be best seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, and which is preferably welded to member 35 in roughly the center of that chain trough. Each of the chain troughs, such as troughs 34, 36 and 38, is also provided with a chain which passes through the associated saddle member, such as member 40, and is prevented from moving through saddle member 40, as will be apparent from the discussion below. I

To secure a stack of plates in car 20, the stack, such as stack 50, is first placed in car 20 with two sides of the stack parallel to sides 22 and 24, respectively, and two of the sides facing ends 26 and 28. While the invention is not intended to be limited to rectangular stacks, when such stacks are employed, the sides of the stack will extend parallel to the sides and ends of the car as shown in FIG. I. When stack is so located, the chains in the trough which it covers already extend each in their associated'trough toward the sides 24 and 22 of car 20. For example, referring to FIG. 2, a portion of chain 52 passes in trough 34 beneath stack'SO stack 50 toward side 22. After the stack is placed over one or more troughs, such as trough 34, the portion of chain 52 which extends toward side 24 is then manually passed up the side of stack 50 adjacent side 24, over the top of stack 50 and manually attached to a device 54 which serves to connect chain 52 to side 22 as shown. Corner protectors 56 and 58 guard against damage to the edges of stack 50 during securement and hauling. Before, after or at the same time the portion of chain 52 extending toward side 22 is similarly passed up the side of stack 50 adjacent side 22 and over the top of stack 50 to attach to device 60 which serves to connect chain 52 to side 24 of car 20. Other chains in other troughs beneath a stack can be similarly used to further secure the stack if desired. In this fashion, chain 52 can be employed to quickly and simply secure stack 50 against lateral movement toward sides 22 and 24 which might damage the sheets in stack 50 or make stack 50 difficult to mechanically unload as its destination.

Devices 54 and 60 which are substantially identical and, as can be seen in FIG. 3, each includes a hook portion 62 which engages the chain, a take up device 64, and a cushion unit 66 firmly attaching device 62 to side 22 or 24 just below bulkhead track 70 which, together with the other tracks 84, 86 and 88, as will be apparent from the discussion below, serves to guide movable bulkheads 74 and 76 along bed 30 to any desired location abutting the ends of a stack, such as stack 50, which face car ends 26 and 28 and accordingly prevent movement of a stack toward and away from the car ends.

Referring to FIGS. and 6, saddle member 40 together with each of the saddle members in the other chain troughs, such as troughs 36 and 38, has opposing slots 80 and 82 which, as can be seen in FIG. 6, are long enough to permit links of the chain 52 which are disposed vertically to pass through but not wide enough for links of the chain which are horizontally disposed, such as links 84 and 86. Chain 52 can be first placed in the trough and saddle 40 then placed atop it and welded in position to member 35 to lock chain 52 firmly in position and to prevent movement of chain 52 along the associated chain trough. Accordingly, saddle member 40 effectively attaches chain 52 to the chain trough at a location which is substantially near the center of the trough and near the center of chain 52.

Reference is now made to FIG. 7 which shows a cutaway view of the gondola along the lines 7--7 showing bulkhead 74 and the manner in which it can be moved within car 20 along tracks 70, 84, 86 and 88. These tracks can be any conventional construction and any suitable way of moving bulkhead 74, as well as bulkhead 76, and any other bulkheads which may be provided in car 20 and for locking these bulkheads in position abutting a stack, such as stack 50, can be employed and many conventional ways of accomplishing these functions are apparent. After one or more chains in one or more troughs beneath a stack, such as stack 50, have been secured as discussed above, or before they have been secured, bulkheads such as 74 and 76 can then be moved to abut the sides of stack 50 or another stack which face ends 26 and 28 of car 20. Bulkheads 74 and 76 then prevent movement of the stack along a direction parallel to the sides 22 and 24 toward or away from ends 26'and 28.

Many changes and modifications in the above embodiment of the invention can, of course, be made without departing from the scope of the claims, and accordingly that scope is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A railroad car for hauling stacked, flat sheets of material comprising:

a car body having a bed, first and second opposing sides and first and second opposing ends, said bed having a plurality of separated chain troughs extending in said bed roughly parallel to said ends substantially from one side to the other side,

first means attached to each of said sides, each located roughly above the intersection of one of said troughs with the side to which it is attached, for receiving and holding a portion of a chain, second means attached to said bed in each said trough for receiving and holding a portion of a chain so as to prevent movement of said chain along said bed,

a plurality of bulkheads movably attached to said sides of said car for securing said stack against movement in a direction roughly parallel to said sides of said car, and

a chain comprised of a plurality of links, said chain having a first portion attached to the second means in a given one of said troughs and passing in said given one of said troughs to one side of said stack adjacent one side of said car, passing up said one side of said stack, passing over the top of said stack to the other side of said stack, and attached to the one of said first means which is attached to said other side and is roughly above said given one of said troughs and a second portion attached to said second means in said given one of said troughs and passing in said given one of said troughs to said other side of said stack, passing in said given one of said troughs, passing up said other side of said stack, passing over the top of said stack to said one side of said stack, and attached to the one of said first means which is attached to said one side and is roughly above said given one of said troughs.

2. A car as in claim 1 wherein means attached to said bed includes a member having a first and second slots in opposed sides for permitting a chain link disposed in one directionto move through that slot and preventing an adjacent chain link disposed in a direction substantially transverse to said one direction from moving through that slot. 

1. A railroad car for hauling stacked, flat sheets of material comprising: a car body having a bed, first and second opposing sides and first and second opposing ends, said bed having a plurality of separated chain troughs extending in said bed roughly parallel to said ends substantially from one side to the other side, first means attached to each of said sides, each located roughly above the intersection of one of said troughs with the side to which it is attached, for receiving and holding a portion of a chain, second means attached to said bed in each said trough for receiving and holding a portion of a chain so as to prevent movement of said chain along said bed, a plurality of bulkheads movably attached to said sides of said car for securing said stack against movement in a direction roughly parallel to said sides of said car, and a chain comprised of a plurality of links, said chain having a first portion attached to the second means in a given one of said troughs and passing in said given one of said troughs to one side of said stack adjacent one side of said car, passing up said one side of said stack, passing over the top of said stack to the other side of said stack, and attached to the one of said first means which is attached to said other side and is roughly above said given one of said troughs and a second portion attached to said second means in said given one of said troughs and passing in said given one of said troughs to said other side of said stack, passing in said given one of said troughs, passing up said other side of said stack, passing over the top of said stack to said one side of said stack, and attached to the one of said first means which is attached to said one side and is roughly above said given one of said troughs.
 2. A car as in claim 1 wherein means attached to said bed includes a member having a first and second slots in opposed sides for permitting a chain link disposed in one direction to move through that slot and preventing an adjacent chain link disposed in a direction substantially transverse to said one direction from moving through that slot. 